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Motherhood brings with it lots of emotions: Joy, gratitude, exhaustion, self-doubt and sometimes lots of confusion. These feelings can come within hours of delivery if a new mom has difficulty breast feeding. New moms may ask themselves, “How could I be messing up already? How in the world am I going to breast feed this baby?”
Cathy Conley, RN and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) at Parkview Noble Hospital, says this experience is nothing new. “Most moms feel overwhelmed at first, but that’s why we’re here.”
Lactation consultants are available in many local hospitals. They provide information, knowledge and support while bolstering confidence in new moms attempting to breast feed their newborns. “A majority of our moms will try to breast feed their babies,” says Conley, “but that number drops off after they leave the hospital.” Conley says a lack of support at home and concerns about milk supply are the main reasons moms stop breast feeding. She says that’s why education and support are so crucial.
“It is normal to only have a little breast milk at first, because a newborn’s stomach is only the size of a marble. Moms need to realize breast feeding is all about supply and demand. It’s a cycle and a process, and the baby needs to remove more in order to make more.”
Parkview Noble Hospital offers education to expecting parents through a prenatal breast feeding class on the fourth Thursday of the month. Conley is on staff to help with any issue that may arise during a new mother’s stay at the hospital. She also conducts follow-up phone calls to moms at home and is available at (260) 347-8337 for consultation appointments.
Amy Barone, IBCLC and nutritionist at Dupont Hospital, says that support and encouragement are crucial during those first early days. “We want moms to know that they are doing a good job and they are not alone. It’s important that they feel comfortable and confident in their ability to breast feed before they go home.” Dupont Hospital has a lactation consultant available seven days a week to answer questions mothers may have, and offers a special lactation consultant in their NICU. Expectant parents may also register for a free breast feeding class at theduponthospital.com. Class size is limited and parents should register approximately three months before their due date.
In addition, Dupont offers a breast feeding support group that meets from 1-2:30 p.m. every other Wednesday and no appointment is needed.
La Leche League International groups meet throughout the area. Anne Tkacz is a trained and accredited leader of an LLL group that meets at Fort Wayne’s St. Mary’s Catholic Church at 9:30 a.m. on the second Wednesday of the month. Tkacz, a mother of four, says the support mothers give one another at meetings is amazing. “We want to encourage pregnant moms to come to our meetings before they give birth,” she says. “It helps seeing other moms breast feeding and normalizes the whole process. They need to know there is a mother-to-mother support system out there.”
Meetings cover a wide range of issues, depending on what questions or problems mothers may have.
It’s essential to seek out information before giving birth. Conley, Tkacz and Barone emphasize that education and a strong support system are the keys to breast feeding success. Once those are in place, a mother can reap one of the biggest rewards of breast feeding: Bonding with her baby. “Bonding with that little one close in your arms is one of the biggest benefits,” says Conley, who breast fed each of her three children. “There is just nothing else like it.”
Andrea Sullivan of Warsaw has journalism and English literature degrees from Indiana University, Bloomington, as well as several years of experience in public relations and advertorial writing for various business-to-business publications. She has spent the last few years at home raising her family. Contact her at (574) 269-9608 or
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La Leche League International leaders
Fort Wayne, Anne (260) 918-2982, Susan (260) 745-0411; Auburn, Leta (260) 925-4826; Garrett, Lora (260) 357-3537; Grabill, Deana (260) 657-1828, Mary (260) 657-3339; Columbia City/Warsaw, Anne (260) 625-5410
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